I also liked the Kushina backstory, it was more emotional and meaningful than the brief encounter with Minato, and further develops the characters pretty well (I actually don't like Naruto very much as the main character, but this was one of the moments that made me more sympathise with him and root for the character).

Regarding the bad moments, the fights were too brief and far too many ended offscreen - as you said, Dan has yet to encounter Tsunade and we barely saw him fight; I was also looking forward to Kakuzu and Kimimaro... I also really grew tired of the brofists and ridiculous age difference between Raikage and Bee in the flashbacks

As far as Sasuke is concerned, I'd say he's past the point of no return. Even if there is still the possibility of internal or emotional redemption for the character, he has directly attacked all the kages of the five nations and contributed to the war - that cannot go unpunished and erased with a simple twist. I would like to see a more raw and realistic ending for him, like dying at the hands of Naruto and making him acknowledge that he can't save everyone, but this is still a flagship shonen jump title so I wouldn't really expect it...

It's all about Kushina for me! Kishimoto wasn't planning to give her much development, but he turned that around and gave her an awesome backstory!

The war has had some good parts and some very underwhelming storytelling. I like how minor characters such as Darui, Killer Bee and even Chouji got development and time I the spotlight. OTOH, I'm still waiting for the full potential of other characters like Dan (what's the point of bringing him back to life if he's not going to see Tsunade?), Kakashi's "total rampage" was non-existent, and the less said about Ginkaku and Kinkaku, the better.

As for this week's chapter spoiler[I really hope Itachi's not gone for good. These last few chapters were the first time I had any appreciation for Itachi or Sasuke (since Sasuke left the village). Confronted with his revived brother, Sasuke's finally acting like a relatable human being--he's hurt, confused, and just wants answers. If Itachi goes now, Sasuke will probably revert to the arrogant, rage-filled mess he was in, and I will once again root for his death rather than his reformation. If Kishimoto wants the audience to sympathize with Naruto's desire to bring Sasuke back, Sasuke needs to stay relatable. That will only happen if he has time for a real discussion with Itachi, not just bonding while preparing for an attack against Kabuto.]

I agree totally..I got so excited about "Kakashi's rampage" but it was ignored, biggest "F-YOU" in the manga. The Kinkaku and Ginkaku story was terrible on too many levels to mention and a waste of time. I want Sasuke to be killed. I just feel like he is beyond being helped and I understand but can't relate to wanting to help a friend thats so deep into the darkness. Maybe this Itachi meeting will humanize him and give us a reason to care about saving him.

Since this manga doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon (as in a two to three months time), I guess we've plenty to discuss =D

About Chapter 591: spoiler[I should have seen that coming. A completely new power coming out of nowhere that allows Madara to stay for a while longer. I knew they wouldn't let him go just like that, without an extended fight against the Kages.

I predict the Kages will end up winning (after losing one or two guys), but that's 4 or 5 chapters away now.

What annoys me at this point is, that all I want to see it's Naruto Vs Tobi (and of course, Tobi's identity revealed). Itachi and Sasuke vs Kabuto was necessary, or the Edo Tensei would last forever. While I didn't enjoy that battle very much, what happened was very important, it even left Sasuke as one of the good guys again.

spoiler[The real Madara VS the Kages is the fight I have been enjoying the most in this whole arc so I'm happy to see that it wouldn't end so fast - I actually thought it would end there to serve as a tease to show off the possibilities of the "other" Madara's power, which must be around the same level; however, the plot twist is late and came out of nowhere, if someone so proud as Madara had that incredible ability from the start why would he allow to be controlled by someone else even for a moment?

If someone from the kages dies I would place my bet on old man tsuchikage, they are all exhausted, and although he is one of the most powerful characters, his death would be symbolic to entrust the future to the new generation of shinobi, something that is recurrent in Naruto.

With Itachi's final words, I believe that Sasuke may even show up to help the kages, but I wouldn't be too sure... They desperately need someone else's help though, and seeing how the edo tensei has ended and everyone on the battlefield is rushing to fight both "Madaras" the kages right hands are bound to appear soon.]

Some further exposure of Dan was nice considering he really was practically a nobody as far as every character in the series was concerned. He got his due as a character that had been only just introduced, however clichéd that exposure ended up being.

everything is going out proportion in that manga but yet i keep on reading
spoiler[so Sasuke says he's going to meet Orochimaru who's been killed like 2 times at least, correct? is Sasuke able to summon Orochimaru through Anko's Curse Seal? the same way Orochi came out of Sasuke's seal during the fight with Itachi?]

everything is going out proportion in that manga but yet i keep on reading
spoiler[so Sasuke says he's going to meet Orochimaru who's been killed like 2 times at least, correct? is Sasuke able to summon Orochimaru through Anko's Curse Seal? the same way Orochi came out of Sasuke's seal during the fight with Itachi?]

spoiler[Although this chapter was a complete mindf***, I'm guessing Orochimaru is still alive but trapped in the alternate dimension contained within the sword of Itachi's Susanoo; he came out of Sasuke's seal during the fight with Itachi because at that time he had been absorbed by Sasuke while trying to switch bodies, he wasn't just there because of the seal itself. Also, I wonder if the scroll is referring to a new character ("the one who knows everything", or is that Orochimaru either way?). If he is indeed brough back anyway, I believe Anko will play a role, but I'm still not sure exactly how, the panel does seem to point out the curse mark...

Resurrecting the 10 tail bijuu while Tobi only has a fragment of the eight and nine tails is also way too convenient ]

To believe that Orochimaru is dead, in every possible way, shape, idea, or form, is naïve. He's been the most consistent antagonist of the series, one that Kishimoto probably would never kill off completely if he were smart. Kishimoto has made him one of those characters that you just never see the door shut on.

EDIT 07/10: And I amend by utilizing the now-released chapter 593 Orochimaru certainly is a complex character...

Am I the only one that thinks Naruto fighting style is kinda lame? One Rasengan variety after another. Ohh "spiral rasengan", "Giant rasengan", "Black rasengan"...blah. He uses little ninjustu, zero genjutsu, and his tiajutsu is average. The whole clone thing isn't that cool to me...especially when anyone can use it. The sage thing is cool but its confusing. This new 9 tails mode or whatever is the modern day super saiyan 3. Its like..he must be stronger becuz he looks diffirent. lol

Versus..someone like Kakashi or Sasuke that has diffirent jutsu and has a tactical mind. Hell, even Shikamuru (spelling might be off) make for a more epic fight.s

To be completely honest, Kiba probably has the most interesting fighting style for me because of the whole beastman and fight along side his dog aspect. It has a sort of barbarian dynamic that I always thought was interesting. Temari's fan techniques are somewhat very loosely based on a few real fan arts, so I always thought that was pretty cool. There is, however, definitely something lacking in the particular style that Naruto uses.

Even Jiraiya's toads are a lot more interesting than when Naruto summons them.

By the way, just so you know, I believe "Nara Shikamaru" is the preferred romanization of his name, or "Shikamaru Nara" in Given-Family name order.

its all but solidified..spoiler[tobi is obito!!! Kakashi found that the secret to his tech is that he moves any body part attacked to another dimension and back. This is the same dimension used in kakashis kamui (special sharingan tech where he sends stuff to another demension). Why do their eyes use the same dimension?...because they have the same eyes. So of course...it has to be obito. They also so a clip of kakashi looking at obito's grave..but when he asked where he got that eye Obito said he got it from the same war that obito died in. So either someone stole the eye from obito's body or it is in fact obito himself.]

I wouldn't put it past Kishi to do that in the end. However, even though I do agree with you they will probably have Sasuke on that path until the end of the series, I just don't know if the message he's trying to send would require Sasuke to be lost to it forever. Of course, unless he want's to show how that much dedication to it can lead to your ultimate demise. Either way, I think it's all about "what needs to be done" and "how" it's going to happen rather than being about "what's" going to happen, so I don't really care if it's too predictable or not.

Tobi is Obito Uchiha, at this point he just has to be... Unless Kishimoto were to insert a randomly new character as the enemy, where now'd be the only other time to. Kishimoto left himself some time to play with fans as to who, or what, Tobi is. The dialogue is not further clarified in the chapter about where Tobi obtained his Sharingan:

Kakashi: "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT EYE!?"
Tobi: "...Where, you ask...? Hm, if I dare say, it was during the previous Great War. ...The Battle of Kannabi Bridge... You participated in that War, hailed as 'The Sharingan Hero.'"
Kakashi: "...YOU'RE..."

Although here, in the second panel, in conjunction with the third... A bit of a particular thing for him to say about his ideals.

But if Tobi was Obito, then who attacked the village with Nine Tails and helped Itachi with the Uchiha massacre? If he was even alive, Obito would be around the same age as Kakashi - at that time, he wouldn't be much older than a child...

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